


Secondary Plotting

by Lady_Katana4544



Series: Callista Shepard [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Ficlet, Gen, Just Shepard's way of showing that she cares, Mass Effect 2, Post-Horizon (Mass Effect), Some Background Plotting by Shepard, Strongly implied Shenko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 20:39:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6299596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Katana4544/pseuds/Lady_Katana4544
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Anderson gets a visitor and Shepard shows a bit of her hidden plotting side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secondary Plotting

**Author's Note:**

> ME-2: Post-Horizon mission where Shepard goes to see Anderson a second (and last) time before going to continue her mission against the Collectors.
> 
> Shepard Basics:
> 
> Earthborn - Biotic - Sole Survivor

He hears the door open and looks up from his work to watch as Shepard walks into his office with two silent shadows from her new team at her back. Two very different shadows this time he realizes silently as he blinks. 

The shorter of the two women with Shepard wears dark clothing, with a black hood covering her eyes and really making it hard for him to judge her expression other than the little grin through painted lips as she nods slightly at him before turning her attention to the room.

The other woman slightly hairless with tattoos covering her body and wearing very little clothing, smirks when she meets his gaze. Makes him wonder what kind of company Shepard is keeping lately and what sort of team she is attempting to create to fight the Collectors.

“I saw Kaidan Alenko on Horizon.”

The cool tone of her voice brings his gaze back to her and he noted absently that she wearing a different armor set. Part of his mind wonders why she decided to not keep wearing the N7 armor that Cerberus had given her.

He nods slightly.

“Yes. I sent him there on a mission based on what intel the Alliance had received regarding that colony. Given your current mission with Cerberus I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you, Shepard. I know how important he is to you.”

The cold steely look she gives him through the visor she’s currently wearing, makes his blood freeze in his veins and wonder what she might do next. Punch him in the nose perhaps?

“... He was important to me, Anderson. Though I rather doubt he feels the same way about me these days given his performance at that _lovely_ little colony after not seeing me for two damned years. He has moved on with his life now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has something going with someone else either.”

“Not ‘was’, Shepard. He _is_ important to you. Otherwise if he wasn’t, I rather doubt that you wouldn’t be hurting from your meeting with him or that you would continue working with Cerberus willingly. Or even talking with me about him.”

The look in her face softens slightly and he knows her well enough to know that she was attempting to soothe herself with falsehoods. There was no way that the younger man wouldn’t not still be important to this woman in front of him.

“Perhaps.”

She tilts her head slightly, watching him.

“I’m sure you have plans for Alenko correct?”

He shrugs one shoulder at the question.

“Perhaps I do. What does it matter to you, Shepard?”

She shrugs once.

“It doesn’t. Not really. But short of him somehow getting amnesia, I would rather leave this plane of existence again, freely knowing that somewhere he’s being kept busy enough to forget about me. That he won’t be somewhere out there, causing trouble for Cerberus that they’ll feel the need to take him out on the Illusive Man’s orders. For his sake and mine, he shouldn’t try to contact me either.”

She was right. And Alenko was still important enough to the eyes of the Alliance that he couldn’t allow the younger man to go after their enemies in Cerberus angry and hurting after seeing Shepard for the first time after two years of separation. Shepard was important as well and he wondered if she knew just how important she was to the people who really cared about her and her wellbeing.

But first…

He frowns at her.

“You will see this mission through, Shepard, and you will come back from it alive rather than in a coffin. I refuse to bury you again.”

She shrugs before turning to leave.

“It’s a suicide mission, Anderson. Only the Powers That Be know the outcomes of our lives.”

He tilts his head watching as she joins her two companions.

“Does anyone actually know you’re here?”

The shorter hooded woman who had been watchfully silent the entire time, shakes her head now with a small grin as Shepard joins her and the other woman.

“No. We release VIs into the security systems of populated sectors or stations like this place to protect ourselves if need be. The only way anyone knows we are somewhere is through word of mouth and we’re usually gone before anyone can really raise protest our presence and move against us. A necessary precaution to take these days really.”

Shepard nods slightly.

“What she said. See you in the next life, Anderson.”

And like she’s gone just as quickly as she had arrived before he even has the chance to say anything.


End file.
